History VideoGame / MarkOfTheNinja

* ThroughTheEyesOfMadness: That girl who helped you from the beginning to the end? [[spoiler:She never existed.]]

* [[spoiler:EvilMentor: Azai has some shades of this. As reveleated in the story and the scrolls you collect, he purposefully attacked the Hessian group first and got himself captured by them after he found out the kind of technology they possess: he was forced to do this since the plant from which the special ink used in the Marks was made from had died out and the last of it was used to give the main character his Mark. The main character is none too happy about having to go on a suicide mission just to capture some enemy technology when he thought his mission was about justified revenge for Karajan's initial assault on the clan in an attempt to wipe them out.]]

Published my Microsoft Studios, the game was released on September 7th, 2012 to critical acclaim, averaging a 9/10 ranking on Metacritic.

* BoobyTrap: Present all over the place in one late game location. These range from bombs hanging off the ceiling by a thread, to bombs hidden in derelict cars, to bombs hidden [[GenreSavvy in places a person might hide]], or taut chains that when disturbed cause pieces of masonry to fall, cause SpikesOfDoom top pop up from the floor or trigger an arrow trap. While these can seriously hurt an incautious player, a canny one can turn them into an opportunity to get points for some indirect kills.

* BoobyTrap: Present all over the place in one late game location. These range from bombs hanging off the ceiling by a thread, to bombs hidden in derelict cars, to bombs hidden [[GenreSavvy in places a person might hide]], or taught chains that when disturbed cause pieces of masonry to fall, or pop SpikesOfDoom from the floor. While these can seriously hurt an incautious player, a canny one can turn them into an opportunity to get points for some indirect kills.

* [[spoiler:EvilMentor: Azai has some shades of this. As reveleated in the story and the scrolls you collect, he purposefully attacked the Hessian group first and got himself captured by them after he found out the kind of technology they possess: he was forced to do this since the plant from which the special ink used in the Marks had died out and the last of it was used to give the main character his Mark. The main character is none too happy about having to go on a suicide mission just to capture some enemy technology when he thought his mission was about justified revenge for Karajan's initial assault on the clan in an attempt to wipe them out.]]

* ActionCommands: Used whenever the player character preforms a [[BackStab Stealth Kill]] or picks a pocket. The player must press the initiating button again, accompanied by pressing the indicated direction on the thumbstick. They only have a second or so to react. Failure to execute this properly will not cause [[IncrediblyLamePun failure to execute]], but it will be a much messier and nosier incident, resulting in less points and potentially alerting others. One of the suits removes the stealth kill QTE and makes them always successful and allows you to carry 2 attack items, but you they won't get restored when you reach a checkpoint.

* HundredPercentCompletion: To unlock everything, you need to get all three hidden scrolls per stage, perform all three special actions per stage (usually stuff like "break 20 lights!" or tricky stuff like getting guards to shoot each other) and get a high enough score to get three honor marks per stage. The game is designed for multiple playthroughs, fortunately, and it's easy to just restart from the last checkpoint if you trigger an alert or screw up one of the special actions.

* HundredPercentCompletion: To unlock everything, you need to get all three hidden scrolls per stage, perform all three special actions per stage (usually stuff like "break 20 lights!" or tricky stuff like getting guards to shoot each other) and get a high enough score to get three honor marks per stage. The game is designed for multiple playthroughs, fortunately.

* NoNameGiven: The ninja and never gets named.

* GhostRun: You gain an achievement, [[CaptainObvious Ghost]], for managing to go through an entire level undetected and without killing any guards. This can be profoundly difficult without the Path Of Silence armor, which allows you to run without generating noise, and carry two stealth items. Even with the Path Of Silence armor, this is extremely challenging, even in the first level, and best saved until you've got some extremely effective gear (like remote detonated noisemakers and the cardboard box).

* HundredPercentCompletion: To unlock everything, you need to get all three hidden items per stage, perform all three special actions per stage (usually stuff like "break 20 lights!" or tricky stuff like getting guards to shoot each other) and get a high enough score to get three honor marks per stage. The game is designed for multiple playthroughs, fortunately.

* NoNameGiven: The ninja and his female companion never get names.

* GasmaskMook: Found in the areas with poisonous gas, as can largely be expected. They also have night vision goggles by default.

* BadBoss: Karajan is implied to be one during a cutscene with his guard captain, where it's revealed that he wasted the cash meant to develop advanced armor for his troops on expensive booze and when the captain implies his men got killed because of it, all he says is "well, seems like this cognag was more expensive than I thought".

** You can get a [[MetalGear cardboard box]] as a distraction item, and the unique stealth kill it gives access to is called Voracious Snake.

* ActionCommands: Used whenever the player character preforms a [[BackStab Stealth Kill]] or picks a pocket. The player must press the initiating button again, accompanied by pressing the indicated direction on the thumbstick. They only have a second or so to react. Failure to execute this properly will not cause [[IncrediblyLamePun failure to execute]], but it will be a much messier and nosier incident, resulting in less points and potentially alerting others.
* AndYourRewardIsClothes: Each mission has three "honors", challenging optional tasks that can be completed. Complete three honors of each category, and you gain a costume. Each costume comes with a few bonuses, as well as some disadvantages (the stealth suit has no offensive capabilities, the combat suit prevents you from using your ability to stop time to perform quick actions, etc). While these suits are good for specific missions, some suits, when taken on a mission, can make the level nearly unwinnable to all but the most skillful players.

* NewGamePlus: Once the game is beaten, the player may begin a New Game Plus, which increases the difficulty, but allows all unlocked upgrades to carry over.
* PacifistRun: Possible in most missions. The player is even given bonus points for doing so, to compensate for points passed up by not killing. One achievement even requires doing this on one level.

* AndYourRewardIsClothes: Each mission has three "honors", challenging optional tasks that can be completed. Complete three honors of each category, and you gain a costume. The costume does come with a few bonuses, as well as some disadvantages (the stealth suit has no offensive capabilities, the combat suit prevents you from using your ability to stop time to perform quick actions, etc). While these suits are good for specific missions, some suits, when taken on a mission, can make the level nearly unwinnable to all but the most skillful players.

* [[spoiler:Throughtheeyesofmadness]]: That girl who helped you from the beginning to the end? [[spoiler:She never existed.]]

* {{Wutai}}: A curiously modern take on the trope. The early and late stages of the game take place in a FarEast city which is never named but is presumably in Japan, where plenty of skyscrapers in the background and functional subway tunnels underground. However, everything has a very "shine" kind of aesthetic to it. For example, modern buildings might have roofs and terraces that make them look vaguely like pagodas.

* PowerTattoo: The "Mark" of the title is an elaborate pattern of tattoos placed on the main character's skin using a special ink made from a unique toxic plant. This ink will grant great powers of perception and speed, but the toxin will [[PowerAtAPrice eventually drive the marked person to madness]], or so the story is told. As a result, those who accept the mark do so only to accomplish the most critical of missions, and will be expected to perform {{Seppuku}} afterward [[DyingAsYourself before the madness overtakes them]].

* ActionCommands: Used whenever the player character preforms a [[BackStab Stealth Kill]] or picks a pocket. The player must press the initiating button again, accompanied by pressing the indicated direction on the thumbstick. They only have a second or so to react. Failure to execute this properly will not cause failure to execute, but it will be a much messier and nosier incident, resulting in less points and potentially alerting others.

* NewGamePlus: Once the game is beaten, the player may begin a New Game Plus, which increases the difficulty, but allows all unlocked upgrades to carry over.

!!Tropes used in this game: